Nicola Walker has compared the “ceremony of marriage” with going to work as an actress.

The Bafta-nominated star will soon be seen in new BBC One series The Split, which also features Stephen Mangan, Meera Syal, Stephen Tompkinson and Anthony Head.

Walker plays divorce lawyer Hannah Stern, whose personal life starts to become complicated as she deals with other people’s marriage problems.

She opened up about her own wedding, saying providing a sense of security for her son was a major reason why she and fellow actor Barnaby Kay decided to get married after almost 20 years together.

She told Radio Times: “I don’t know if I should tell the truth – it doesn’t sound very romantic.

“I find the whole ceremony of marriage a bit like going to work. Putting on a lovely dress and make-up, learning lines, someone doing your hair … I can see that would be really appealing if you don’t do it for a living.

“It’s a public performance. Though we had a really lovely day because we didn’t do that. We had a tiny family thing.”

The star, who played Ruth Evershed in spy series Spooks, also commented on the female-led cast and crew of The Split.

She said: “Now we’ve got female commissioners and executives like Jane (Featherstone) and Nicola (Shindler) choosing the stories they want to tell, and actors like Sarah Lancashire putting in performances like in Happy Valley.

“I don’t feel we’ve ever seen that woman on TV before, and I hope people feel the same about Hannah.”